11 MERCY MISSIONS FLOWN BY RESCUE HELICOPTER LAST WEEKEND OPINION SAFEGUARD MECHANISM WILL KILL JOBS IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA

In order to reach their 2030 climate targets, the Federal Labor Government has announced they will force 215 of Australia’s biggest polluters to cut emissions by 5 per cent each year or pay for their emissions output.

“In effect it acts as a tax on families, a tax on businesses and a big tax on regional Australia. It’s Carbon Tax 2.0 and another major blow for the energy industry.”

“Labor is executing drastic climate targets with no consideration for the toll it takes on Australian jobs and household budgets.”

Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox has opposed this decision saying that Labor is targeting regional Queensland jobs and inflicting more pain on household bills.

“Labor’s Safeguard Mechanism affects facilities that emit more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. If facilities exceed this amount, the business will need to buy carbon credits,” Mr Willcox said.

“We have 28 of the high emitting industry facilities in surrounding regions who will be impacted by these mandatory emissions cuts. These are Dawson jobs now put in jeopardy by Labor’s climate targets.

“Leading up to the 2022 Federal election, Prime Minister Albanese and his party promised there would be no carbon tax.

“This is just a fancy name for exactly that.”

RACQ CQ Rescue flew 11 missions between Friday and Sunday last week, including the airlift of an injured motorbike rider and two flights to Bowen and two to Clermont on consecutive days for seriously ill patients.

The Mackay-based rescue helicopter has now completed 39 missions in the first 22 days of 2023. RACQ CQ Rescue was tasked by Queensland Health to fly backto-back missions to Clermont on Friday to transfer two patients to Mackay Base Hospital including a two-year-old child with a serious abdominal condition who was accompanied by their mother.

A patient was also transported from Dysart to Mackay Base Hospital with a cardiac issue. That same afternoon, a woman in her 60s was airlifted from Victor Island, about 48km southeast of Mackay, after being bedridden and alone for two days.

The helicopter landed on the beach at sunset and the medical team walked to the island homestead to treat and administered pain relief to the woman. She was carried to the aircraft, flown to Mackay Airport and transferred to a waiting ambulance to be taken to Mackay Base Hospital.

Overnight Saturday, two patients were also airlifted from Bowen to Mackay Base Hospital. About 10.30am on Saturday, RACQ CQ Rescue was tasked by Queensland Health to airlift a dirt bike rider seriously injured in a crash at Yalbaroo, about 70km north-east of Mackay.

The 47-year-old man attempted to cross a culvert flowing with water on a remote dirt road in the Cathu State Forest, but a concrete slab underneath had dislodged in recent flooding, causing the rider to be thrown violently from the bike.

An RACQ CQ Rescue crewman said the force of the impact would have been like “hitting a wall at speed”.

The unlucky rider suffered injuries including a seriously dislocated hip and had to be relocated out of the water while they waited for the helicopter to arrive. Incorrect coordinates delayed the landing of the chopper at the scene, but it finally touched down on the dirt road about 500 metres from the accident site. The rider was treated and transferred to Mackay Base Hospital in a stable condition.

A helicopter Rescue Crewman was able to assist the local paramedic at the accident scene who was suffering heat exhaustion while tending to the injured dirt bike rider. The crewman drove the ambulance and his colleague back to the station at Calen.

Three training flights for new Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics joining the aeromedical team were also conducted on Sunday around the Mackay region, as well as the airlift of a patient from Proserpine hospital to Mackay.